When a sheet jam, sometimes referred to as a “jam,” is caused within a fixing unit or other positions of an image forming apparatus, a user of the image forming apparatus is required to remove the jammed sheet.
According to an image forming apparatus in the related art, a cover or the like of the image forming apparatus is brought into an open condition to remove a jammed sheet at the time of a jam. During this removal, the angle of visibility of the user is obscured by a projecting portion of a guide provided in a fixing unit to feed a sheet, or by a projecting portion of a scanning unit. In this case, the visual recognition of the jammed sheet is inadequate.
In a condition in which a feed guide of the fixing unit is opened to remove a jammed sheet, the angle of visibility of the user is narrowed by a corner of an original carrying plate or by a projecting portion when the feed guide is opened.
Moreover, the size of the image forming apparatus has been reduced in recent years, including a tendency of narrowing a distance between the original carrying plate and the fixing unit with the size reduction of the image forming apparatus. In this case, the angle of visibility of the user further narrows.
Accordingly, viewing the interior of the fixing unit from the upper side becomes difficult. In such a case, the user is required to go around toward the side behind the image forming apparatus in order to remove a sheet jam caused in the fixing unit, depending on the particular image forming apparatus. Particularly, a small-sized image forming apparatus developed for A4 sheet printing may be installed in various places, including a position on a table. When this type of image forming apparatus is installed on a table, there is a possibility that the vision or posture of the user removing a jam is different than in situations assumed during design of the apparatus, depending on the height of the table or other factors. In other words, the vision or posture of the user removing a jam for such a table-installed image forming apparatus is unlike that for a large-sized image forming apparatus (directly installed on a floor) employed in businesses and the like. Accordingly, the visual recognition of the jamming sheet needs to be raised to the highest possible level.
Furthermore, according to the image forming apparatus in the related art, the user initially opens a side cover, and then opens the feed guide when a jam is caused in the fixing unit. Then, the feed guide is opened by shifting the tip thereof downward around the center of the rotation axis. After the sheet is removed, the feed guide previously opened is brought into a closed condition by shifting the tip thereof upward. Thereafter, the side cover is closed.
When the user leaves the feed guide open, the side cover contacts the tip of the feed guide, producing a possibility of breakage of the contact portion or the like. For avoiding this problem, a spring can be provided on the feed guide for automatically closing the feed guide. According to this method, however, removal of the sheet needs to be conducted by one hand while the feed guide is pressed by the other hand at the time of removal of the sheet. In this case, sheet removing becomes a difficult task.